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It’s been a seriously tough contest, with much blood spilled along the way (not to mention hair pulled out). I’m happy to announce, though, that our ultimate Sharks Fan competition finally has a winner after five gruelling rounds of questions.

The full final standings, along with the promised points allocations, will be published and sorted out early next week, but I thought it fitting to reveal the winner now, so that he can at least make the most of his bragging rights this weekend. Congratulations to Jonathan Gunning, also known as Champion Shark, whose nickname really came good as he swept to victory in convincing style. Of the 225 total points available, Jonathan scored an impressive 212.5, thanks in no small part to a superb showing in the final round, where he scored 14.5 out of 15.

Here are the answers that I was expecting to each question. In rounds four and five, I started giving half points and I will also explain how those worked.

1 point questions

1 Who was the Sharks top try scorer in the 2010 Currie Cup? Lwazi Mvovo
2 Who is the only Sharks captain to have led the side to more than one Currie Cup trophy? Gary Teichmann
3 Why was the Sharks 2010 Currie Cup semi-final match delayed for 40 minutes? Bees on the pitch
4 Name the English flyhalf who played for the Sharks in the 2010 Super 14. Andy Goode
5 How many Springbok rugby players has Michaelhouse produced? 1
6 What is Willem Alberts’ nickname? Vic/Big Vic
7 Who was the head coach of the Sharks XV in 2010? Sean Everitt
8 Which Sharks player has amassed the most test caps? John Smit
9 Which member of the Sharks squad attended high school in Wonderboom, Pretoria? Charl McLeod
10 Which form Sharks Currie Cup player captained College Rovers to a maiden SA Club Champs victory in 2010? Chris Jordaan
11 Who were the Sharks clothing/apparel sponsor in 2010? Reebok
12 Which other Currie Cup Premier Division side has Eugene van Staden represented? Griquas
13 What is Adrian Jacobs’ middle name? Abraham
14 In which two sports did current Sharks backline coach Grant Bashford represent Natal in the 90s? Rugby and cricket
15 How many matches did the Sharks lose at ABSA Stadium in the 2010 Currie Cup? None

2 point questions

1 How many times has John Plumtree lead the Sharks to a top of the table finish in the Currie Cup? 3
2 Find the missing name to complete the sequence. Craig Jamieson, Wahl Batmann, Gary Teichmann,_________, Stefan Terblanche Johann Muller
3 How many finals did the Sharks reach under the coaching of Rudolf Straeuli? 3
4 Name the former Natal prop who is now Scotland’s scrum coach Massimo Cuttita
5 What club does Wiehahn Herbst play for? Old Boys
6 Wickus van Heerden played flank for the Sharks in the 90s. How is he related to the Lions/Bulls player of the same name? He is his uncle
7 Name the two French World Cup players who represented Natal in the 1995 Currie Cup Thierry Lacroix and Olivier Roumat
8 Name the Natal winger who scored a hat trick against Queensland in the 1996 Super 12 semi-final Cabous van der Westhuizen
9 Who was appointed Sharks head coach after Rudolf Straeuli left to coach the Springboks? Kevin Putt
10 Who took over as Natal captain when Craig Jamieson retired in 1992? Wahl Bartmann
11 Which CURRENT member of the Sharks back line has the most Springboks test caps? Stefan Terblanche
12 Who is the current President of the KZN Rugby Union? Peter Hassard
13 Who was the Sharks headline sponsor from 1996-2000? Canon – although Spoornet was the sponsor in 1996. I accepted with just Canon or Spoornet and Canon, but not Spoornet on its own
14 What is the name of the trophy that John Plumtree and John Mitchell compete for between themselves? The Hawera Cup
15 How many test tries has Willem Alberts scored? 3

3 point questions

1 Apart from both being Shark loose forwards, what do Keegan Daniel and Jean Deysel have in common? Born on the same day
2 Why was Rory Kockott red carded in the 2009 Super 14 match against the Highlanders? slapping Adam Thompson
3 Against which side did Pat Lambie make his senior provincial debut? Griquas
4 Name the four members of the 2010 Sharks under 21 squad who attended Welkom Gimnasium Peet Marais, Jandre Marais, Wynand Pienaar, Arno van Zyl
5 Which two players scored tries for Natal in the 1996 Super 12 Final? James Small and Andre Joubert
6 Tony Watson retired from the game after sustaining facial injuries in an aerial collision with which player? Uli Schmidt
7 Of the following five players, which one never played for the Sharks? Toks vd Linde, Nico Wegner, Wylie Human, Justin Swart, Wayne Julies Wayne Julies (of course!). Toks vd Linde played 8 games for Natal in 1993
8 What do Gary Teichmann, Wayne Fyvie and Bob Skinstad have in common, apart from playing loose forward for the Sharks All attended Hilton College. Those of you who said they all captained the Boks were wrong. Fyvie never did
9 Who was the first player from Natal to captain the Springboks? Philip Nel
10 Name Andre Joubert’s cousin, who played wing and centre for Natal in the 90s Joos Joubert
11 How many points did Gavin Lawless score against the Highlanders in the 1997 Super 12? 50
12 Apart from the same last name, what else do Johann Muller and Pieter Muller have in common? The name Gysbert
13 In 2000, the Sharks won only a single match in the Super 12. Which team did they beat? The Waratahs
14 Name the two props that left the Sharks to play for Castres in the French Top 14 Kees Lensing and Danie Saayman
15 JP Pietersen’s uncle played wing for Natal in the 1980s. What was his name? Christy Noble

4 point questions

1 Who coached the Natal side in 1994? Noel Olivier was the head coach. I have half a point for Andy Keast, who was his assistant.
2 Who was Natal’s first clothing sponsor? Kappa
3 How many provincial rugby caps did Grant Bashford accumulate? 1
4 Name Ian McIntosh’s son, who played a few games at flank for Natal in the late 90s Craig McIntosh
5 How many Springbok test captains has Natal/The Sharks produced? 6 – actually, I accepted anything between 6 and 8, because Roy Dryburgh and Bob Skinstad could be argued either way
6 Name Beast Mtawarira’s younger brother, who is currently at the Sharks Academy Ray Mtawarira
7 Trevor Halstead’s older brother also played for the Sharks. Name him. Greg Halstead
8 In the 1994 Super 10, Mark Andrews was sent off 30 minutes into a game that Natal went on to win comfortably. Who were their opponents? Western Samoa
9 What do Brad Barritt, Rory Kockott, Waylon Murray and Pat Cilliers have in common? Middle name is Michael
10 Name the Queens College tighthead prop and captain who will join the Sharks Academy in 2011. Allan Dell
11 One recent Sharks player (who is now coaching) has a name that sounds like a distinctive part of a shark’s anatomy. Name him. Ettienne Fynne
12 Name the three most-capped Sharks players ever. John Smit, Stefan Terblanche, Albert van den Berg. I gave half a point for getting two out of three right
13 Which lower division team did Rudi Visagie play for after leaving Natal? Lowveld. I gave half a point for the Pumas, because they are not a lower-division team
14 Name the three A’s who were the mainstay of the Sharks lineout in the mid 90s John Allan, Steve Atherton and Mark Andrews. I gave half a point for getting two out of three right
15 Name the Samoan brothers who joined the Wildebeest squad for the 2006 Vodacom Cup Anitelea and Alesana Tuilagi. I have half a point for getting at least one of the names right, or for just giving me the surname. There are 6 of these guys who played rugby, so you had to be specific about which ones

5 point questions

1 Name the Sharks prop who passed away in the same accident in which Cedric Mkhize was paralysed. Nardus Pompies Wessels
2 What was Jeremy Thompson’s nickname? Bullfrog. I also gave points for Jem
3 How many current Sharks players are twins? 4. Odwa Ndungane, Ross Cronje, Guy Cronje and Craig Burden are twins
4 What was distinctive about the jerseys worn by the Sharks in the 1997 Super 12? White stripe was diagonal, rather than horizontal
5 Name the former Bulls flyhalf whose boot was instrumental in helping the Sharks reach the 1995 Currie Cup final Luke Smith
6 Kevin Putt famously signed 13 “no-name” players ahead of the 2005 season. Name any 7 of them. Danie Saayman, Bismarck du Plessis, Skipper Badenhorst, Callie Wannenberg, Braam Immelman, Jacques Botes, Jaco Gouws, Ruan Pienaar, Jacques Schutte, Gcobani Bobo, Dean Hall, Odwa Ndungane, Tshepo Kokoali. Half points for getting five or more
7 What was the score between Natal and New South Wales in the 1994 Super 10? The game never took place. NSW refused to tour SA in 1994 so Natal was awarded the points as a walkover.
8 Name the veteran Lions and Pumas scrumhalf who played for the Sharks in the 2005 Currie Cup Bennie Nortje
9 Name the Natal hooker who tragically took his own life in 1992. Sean Gage
10 Which particular unhealthy meal was Ollie le Roux’s weakness? (Be specific) Wimpy mega cheese and bacon burger. I gave half points for any other kind of burger
11 In which sport other than rugby did Mark Andrews achieve junior Sprinbok colours? Water polo. This one was far too easy for this section
12 Name the former Western Province flyhalf who made a surprising return from retirement to represent the Sharks against the British Lions in 1997 Hans Scriba
13 Which Natal school has produced the most Springboks? Martizburg College
14 Apart from Ruan Pienaar, only one other son of a Springbok player has made his Bok test debut while playing for Natal. Who is he? Derek van den Berg
15 Who was the youngest player to score a try for the Sharks Invitational Team against the Valke in 2010? Dwayne Jenner

@mystic: yeah,that was a cheap shot from the master of the cheap shot..

Comment 12, posted at 17.12.10 12:51:00 by bergshark

Great stuff! Who else is in the top 10?

Comment 13, posted at 17.12.10 12:53:16 by Jarson (AddicteD)

He was playing for the lions at that time.but john allen gave him a few good whacks but it still meant the end of watsons career as a rugby player

Comment 14, posted at 17.12.10 12:53:24 by bergshark

@Champion Shark (Comment 4) : your trophy will be added on Monday, along with the points. You’ll be getting over 3k for winning. Not bad at all

Comment 15, posted at 17.12.10 12:54:25 by robdylan

I watched some CC history on tele last night! Back then it was still a “man’s” game! Carel Du plessis is tackled on the try line, – he scores, grab he’s tacklers head, hit him with the knee seems like in the face and jogs off!

Flip that was FUNNY!! My hubby said that oke was gonna be too scared to score another try – he’ll be running in the opposite direction the next time he get the ball!! I am actually laughing so much right now!! Sheesh – imagine if he stuffed that UP!!

Comment 25, posted at 17.12.10 13:24:31 by Ice-Cool CC Champ 2010

@bergshark (Comment 24) : Did they show Flekkie’s bugger-up when he casually cantered over and got owned by Deon Kayser? That was awesome! LOL!

Comment 26, posted at 17.12.10 13:28:31 by rhineshark

That game (1986 cc final) is the first game I can remember clearly..thought the rooibontes were gonna win but then goggie scored an awesome try(his first) and well,you saw the second one lol.
Was so happy that province beat the valies!!

@bergshark (Comment 44) : @Ice-Cool CC Champ 2010 (Comment 45) : He played club rugby for Glenwood, not sure though whether he played any rugby for the senior side, also I am not sure when he played, may have been after he finished playing senior rugby.

Congrats Champion Shark and anyone else that actually completed the competition. Work got the better of me.

@rhineshark (Comment 34) :
Fleck being nailed under the posts by Deon Keyser is one of my all time favourite rugby memories made all the more enjoyable when I bumped into Deon Keyser at the same field a while back.
Priceless

Comment 56, posted at 18.12.10 10:52:52 by Salmonoid

Any idea when we might get the full results?

Comment 57, posted at 20.12.10 15:26:43 by Ice-Cool CC Champ 2010

9 What do Brad Barritt, Rory Kockott, Waylon Murray and Pat Cilliers have in common? (Middle name is Michael